Raider
Meaning one who goes on a plundering raid or expedition.
Name Census estimates that about 570 living Americans carry the first name Raider. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Raider today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Raider births was 2018 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Raider. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
570
~ 1 in 601,323 Americans
Peak year
2018
47 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,858
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Raider: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Raider from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 309 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Raider remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Raider by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Raider during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Raiders live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. California, Texas, Utah recorded the most babies named Raider, while Arizona, Utah, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Raider
The name Raider is a relatively modern name with origins in the English language. It is derived from the word "raid," which comes from the Old English word "raid," meaning a military or predatory incursion. The name likely emerged in the late 19th or early 20th century, reflecting a romanticized fascination with adventure, daring, and conquest.
While the name Raider has no direct historical references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it carries connotations of bravery, boldness, and a spirit of adventure. The earliest recorded use of the name Raider is difficult to pinpoint, as it was not a common name until the 20th century.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Raider was Raider Wicker, an American baseball player born in 1901. He played in the Major Leagues as an outfielder for the Brooklyn Robins (later the Brooklyn Dodgers) from 1925 to 1929.
Another notable Raider was Raider Wilcox, an American football player born in 1915. He played as a halfback for the Detroit Lions and the Brooklyn Dodgers (football team) in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
In the realm of literature, Raider Crimson was the pen name of American novelist and short story writer Donald Westlake, born in 1933. He wrote several mystery and crime fiction novels under this pseudonym in the 1960s and 1970s.
Raider Ridley was a British actor born in 1935, best known for his roles in films such as "The Duellists" and "The Shooting Party." He had a successful career in British cinema and television spanning several decades.
Lastly, Raider Jaymes was an American writer and journalist born in 1947. He authored several non-fiction books on topics ranging from history to popular culture and was a regular contributor to various magazines and newspapers.
While the name Raider may not have a long and storied history, it has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, reflecting the adventurous and daring spirit the name evokes.
People
Raider + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Raider as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Raider: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Raider?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 570 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Raider going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 601,323 US residents.
Is Raider a common name?
We classify Raider as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 575 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Raider most popular?
The single biggest year for Raider was 2018, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Raider is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Raider a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Raider in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.